Special Education: Evaluation

By: PACER Center

Before your child receives special education services, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) requires that he or she have an evaluation. An evaluation includes information from parents, any special medical concerns, interviews with parents and school staff, and may include specific tests. The results of an evaluation will be used to see if your child needs special education help in school. You must give your consent in writing before the first evaluation can take place. The evaluation:

must be done by trained and knowledgeable persons

must be in all areas related to the suspected disability

is more than just one test or assessment procedure

must be in your child's native language unless clearly not possible to do so

must not discriminate against your child

Some questions parents can ask the school staff about evaluation are:

Why do you want to evaluate my child?

What do you think you may find from the evaluation?

What kinds of test will you give?

In what areas will my child be tested?

Will the tests you use discriminate against my child based on: Race? Culture? Disability? Use of language?

How do you know that the tests do or do not discriminate?

What will happen if my child is NOT evaluated? Will he or she still get some help for the problems you identify?

By what date will you give me a written copy of the evaluation results?

What steps should I take if I do not agree with the evaluation results?

If your child has behavior problems at school, these questions may be helpful: